John and Paul had rows that lasted for years; Paul and George certainly had their musical differences; and George was furious with John on more than one occasion. But Ringo? Apart from a famous altercation in 1970 when John and George deputed the drummer to carry some bad news to Paul — that the other Beatles wanted him to delay the release of his first solo album — he never fell out with any of them.

So things were probably exactly as they should be when Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, colleagues for eight years and friends for over half a century, were honoured at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles with lifetime achievement awards for the Beatles.

Quite why it should have taken so long for the Grammy people to have realised what those four guys contributed to the recording industry, I’ve no idea. But that it should have been rectified just a couple of weeks short of 50 years since the band stepped off the plane in America, was timely — as the US now starts a fortnight of Beatles celebrations. From the moment the band arrived in New York on Feb 7, 1964, they were worshipped, with 40 per cent of the entire population watching their live American television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show two days later.

And, a week on Sunday, at exactly the same time, CBS will run a two-hour tribute to them to coincide with the re-release of all the Beatles’ US albums. They may be our band, but no one loves the Beatles more than Americans.

For McCartney, awards are pretty regular baubles. He’s been harvesting them for half a century. But for Starr, who, like McCartney, still tours the world with his All Starr Band (albeit without anything like the same media attention or sell-out audiences), the honour must be particularly sweet.

Only he and McCartney know what it was like to be at the centre of the Beatle whirlwind that engulfed the world in the mid-1960s. And the two Beatle survivors are tied emotionally by that for as long as they live.

It can’t always have been easy being Starr. While Lennon and McCartney were recognised for their songwriting brilliance, and George Harrison, as both a clever writer and ace guitarist, Starr’s contribution was often overlooked.

On one occasion when John Lennon was asked if Starr was the best drummer in the world he replied, tongue in cheek: “He’s not even the best drummer in the Beatles.” It was obviously a joke, and, though McCartney is a good drummer and played in some Beatles’ sessions, it wasn’t true. Starr is an excellent drummer. Unfortunately, the joke stuck.

Without doubt Starr was lucky in that he only joined the Beatles a couple of weeks before they began recording, but Lennon and McCartney, urged on by Harrison, knew what they were doing when they asked him to replace the unfortunate Pete Best. Starr was earning a good living as a professional musician well before they were.

He was the chosen Beatle, and, when necessary, he would be the go-between, pouring balm on the warring egos of the others. Nor did he ever have any delusions about his role in the band. When contemplating the Beatles’ success he once told me: “I didn’t do anything to make it happen apart from saying 'Yes.’ ”

The break-up of the Beatles hurt all of them, but Starr was the one said to have cried, and the only one to have played professionally with each of the others after they split. Whatever wounds still festered after the break-up, when McCartney in a screaming fury ordered Starr from his house, time has long since healed. The two may no longer be in the same band, but they still play together at occasional charity concerts.

For more than 40 years they have pursued separate careers and lives. But it has been their fate to be forever linked in the public’s affectionate mind with music they helped make a lifetime ago.

Back when the greatest rock and roll bands in the world were pumping out the finest music of all time, the Grammys ignored them in favor of the Captain and Tennille and the like. And while I am saddened by the recent announcement of C and T's pending divorce, also color me less than impressed that the Grammys are now tossing out a few "Lifetime Achievement Awards" in between the twerking and rap acts.

But then again perhaps I am just becoming a grumpy old guy who misses heading to the record store for the latest late 60s rock and roll albums and firmly believes that nothing measures up when compared to that music.

Thaiga and Al. Once or twice in the last week I have seen parts of a longish film about George Harrison, 'Living in the Material World'.Caught it on Fox HD and they seem to be using it as a filler atm - but really good watching.

Using rare, never before seen photos and footage as well as unreleased recordings, Academy Award and Emmy-winning director Martin Scorsese traces the lines of George Harrison's journey from Liverpool to become one of the most talented and celebrated guitarists and songwriters in the world. This deeply personal film chronicles his life as a Beatle, his success as a solo artist and his lifelong quest to balance the material and the spiritual.

CoolKorat - smite, smite, smite!! Oh that's a bit harsh - I guess the Beatles were before your time............Some Beatles' songs are amazing but there was a lot of hype and banal stuff mixed in with the genius bits.Some of George's own stuff wears well and John Lennon's 'Imagine' will live for ever IMO(Yours Truly can occasionally be heard guesting 'Imagine' at the Korat Resort, and that deserves a smite on it's own).Tamla Motown etc grabbed me more at time. GL